Studies of Molluscan Shells From Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Ventsand Cold-Water Seeps

提出的研究旨在解决有关深海热液喷口和冷水渗漏环境的四个基本问题：(1)这些环境中的生物过程相对较快还是相对较慢？(2)生物过程的速率在不同地理位置的热液系统之间，更一般地说，在深海热液喷口和冷水渗透环境之间如何变化？(3)在喷口和渗漏处遇到的相对静止的生物是如何分散并随后定位和殖民这些明显短暂且地理上分离的环境的？(4)在世界海洋的特定地点，与喷口和渗漏活动相关的时间尺度是什么？实验将在六个地理上分开的热液喷口区域（加拉帕戈斯裂谷、13′n、21′n、瓜伊马斯盆地、胡安·德·富卡海岭和中大西洋海岭）和一个冷水渗透环境（西佛罗里达悬崖基地）使用各种深潜器进行部署和检索（并取样）。我们将与从以前的热液喷口和冷水渗漏探险中获得的实验结果（以及我们所掌握的标本）进行详细的比较，这些结果很大程度上依赖于我们正在进行的由美国国家科学基金会资助的研究过程中开发的数学技术。从拟议的研究中获得的结果将大大增加我们对深海热液喷口和冷水渗透环境内部、之间和之间的生物和地质过程速率的时空变异性的认识。最后，拟议的研究涉及与法国、加拿大和墨西哥科学家的广泛合作，这应该是朝着更紧密地整合目前在世界海洋中进行的主要热液喷口计划迈出的重要一步。

Proposed studies are designed to address four fundamental questions concerning deep-sea hydrothermal vent and cold-water seep environments: (1) Are biological processes in these environments relatively fast or relatively slow? (2) How do the rates of biological processes vary among a wide variety of geographically-separated hydrothermal systems and, more generally, between deep-sea hydrothermal vent and cold-water seep environments? (3) How do the relatively sedentary organisms encountered at the vents and seeps disperse and subsequently locate and colonize these apparently ephemeral and geographically-separated environments? and (4) What are the time scales associated with vent and seep activity at particular sites throughout the world's oceans? Experiments will be deployed and retrieved (and specimens sampled) using various deep-diving submersibles at six geographically-separated hydrothermal vent areas (Galapagos Rift, 13'N, 21'N, Guaymas Basin, Juan de Fuca Ridge, and Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and one cold-water seep environment (base of the West Florida Escarpment). Detailed comparisons will be made with the experimental results obtained (and specimens at our disposal) from previous hydrothermal vent and cold-water seep expeditions, relying heavily upon mathematical techniques developed during the course of our ongoing NSF-funded studies. Results obtained from the proposed studies should significantly increase our knowledge of both temporal and spatial variability in rates of biological and geological processes within, among, and between deep-sea hydrothermal vent and cold-water seep environments. Finally, the proposed studies involve extensive collaborative efforts with French, Canadian and Mexican scientists which should represent a significant step toward closer integration of the major hydrothermal vent programs presently underway throughout the world's oceans.